Skin cancer (non melanoma)

All about non melanoma skin cancers - basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers - including symptoms and causes, tests to diagnose skin cancer, treatment including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and current research. Living with skin cancer covers coping with your diagnosis, preventing future skin cancers and skin care.

If you are looking for information about the skin cancer that develops from abnormal moles (melanoma) this is not the right section for you. There is a section about melanoma in CancerHelp UK.

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What to ask your doctor

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You can also find skin cancer organisations providing help and support, a reading list and see where this information comes from.

Did you know that Cancer Research UK has an online forum for people affected by cancer? Cancer Chat is your space to talk about cancer.

Press release: Leading UK model agencies sign up to 'No Sunbed' policy: Ahead of London Fashion Week, leading model agencies sign groundbreaking 'No Sunbed' policy agreement as part of Cancer Research UK's R UV UGLY? campaign after warnings on health and appearance; 17 Feb 2012
Press release: Friends and family are encouraging youngsters to risk health for sunbed glow: As the post-Christmas January blues take hold, young people are risking damage to their health and appearance by using sunbeds on the recommendation of friends and family, according to a new survey by Cancer Research UK.; 19 Jan 2012
News: Scientists uncover reason for second cancers after targeted melanoma treatment: An international study has uncovered how secondary skin cancers sometimes develop in malignant melanoma patients who are treated with an experimental drug.; 19 Jan 2012

News: News digest – curry extract and bowel cancer, infections and cancer, brain tumours and more: We launched a clinical trial (press release) to test whether curcumin – an extract from the curry spice turmeric – could improve treatment for advanced bowel cancer. This doesn’t mean curry cures cancer (as we pointed out here), or that … Continue reading →; 12 May 2012
News: News digest – abiraterone in Scotland, No Smoking Day, red meat, oral cancer, and more: It was a week that started in Scotland, with the ‘no’ decision on prostate drug abiraterone, and went on to cover skin cancer, No Smoking Day, oral cancer, shisha pipes, prostate screening and cancer-munching blood cells. In short, it was … Continue reading →; 16 Mar 2012
News: New melanoma drug goes on sale – but will it be affordable?: In 2002, a paper appeared in top science journal, Nature, called “Mutations of the BRAF gene in human cancer”. It described how scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre had made a breakthrough. They’d … Continue reading →; 14 Mar 2012